Wheeling register. [volume] (Wheeling, W. Va.) 1878-1935, 1887-09-28
JAPANESE
A Fondness for Novels-The Inroads q
Western Civilization.

AhNSA obOub Az AVfS - " 0Alohe
the Japanese. Among other things he says
In looking through an open-air book,
stall the other day l came across japanese
versions of "a Dead Secret" Miss
Christable," les Miserables," "Le
Maitre de Forge" Serge Famine
Monte Cristo," and a brave but uufor.
tunate metrical version of Tennyson's and
B~rowning's poems. The japanese are
great novel readers. Bakin, one OF
the most prolific of writers
who reached the zenith Of his
fame simultaneously with Balzac, is still
regarded as the model novelist of all
times, although the ancient romsnces OF
graceful sentimentalists of the past still
find ardent admirers. Some of the stories
are rs attractive and pleasant AS the best
inspirations of Boccaccio. They are so
quaint, such inimitable mOsaics Of prose
and verse, so sweet and tender, that in
reading them one almost catches the faint
fragrance of the cherry blossoms, on the
distant melodious throb OF the lutte
touched by the dainty court ladies of five
centuries ago. 1t Is a pity that the novel
lists OF the present care more for the suf-
trage Of the public than the applause of the
artistic world.
The court Is Europeanized and has no long
er the inspiration of poetic conceptions and
elegant wit. The writers of the present
,nt.r "a tho ,Nrarn1nnt taaIa ENr an,antsnnal
highly spiced romances, in which as many
Of the principal actors rs possible commit
suicide, perform valorOus deeds as bandits,
run off with the wrong women, or break
hearts by the Wholesale. Books of this
description fill the market, with ~illustra,
tons in keeping with the text. Political
novels, Just now the fashion, are of a dis,
tinctly higher class. 1.-THE Beauty OF
Women" is one of the most remarkable
in this connection. The seventh volume
has Just been handed TO the expectant
public, and up to the end Of the sixth the
wandering hero had contracted a violent
attachment for five beautiful" women in
rs many beautiful" countries. To the for
eign and critical reader this tale calls t.
mind the voyages of Sinbad, plus Sterne''
Sentimental Journey and q sprinkling
of Ouida in her most rampant mood. Ye
there is no doubt that the author intend,
his story TO have a political Specification
in the sense that Japan can flourish neithel
intellectually nor physically under th'
present administration. 1.-THE Plum Ire,
in the Snow" is q much better and NOR,
instructive book. Itdepicts the condition
of Japan some centuries hence, and under
the guise of a simple narration Of events
is stingingly satirical. 1.-THE Life Of a
Great Statesman" founded on the life o
the late Lord Beaconsfield, is somewhat
drier, but far more beautiful and certainly
more ennObling in its tendency.
Not belonging to this category, and GER
tainly not II japanese complication, il
Smiles "SelfHelp;' yet it is one Of the
most popular works in this country
fact which reflects no little credit on the
reading public. The first translation o.
this well known book was made some ter
years ago by n Japanese scholar whose
limited knowledge Of the English Language
caused his work to he inaccurate. Since
then other and better translations have
appeared, while the English original and
German versions have beea introduced as
textbooks into several schools.
journalism is making rapid progress,
although the largest daily in Japan has
not more than 20, 900 Subscribers. In
Toxic there are five leading dailies, besides
over a dozen of less importance. The (JVi
Shimpo) Times is undoubtedly the best ed
tied newspaper in this country, and next
to it the Toxic Daily NeiOs, a semi,
official organ. Among recent successful
papers NAV he noted the Friend Of tie FeO-
pie, edited by n young politician who prom
ises TO become one of the most powerful
advocates of the people in the Parliament
which il TO he established in 1890. Among
the papers of the central and southern proys
inCes the Osaka Morning Sun deserve
mention as having the largest circulation
Of any Journal in Japan. In a japanese
news newspaper imperial ordinances, new
laws and regulations come first; then the
editorial lone only, then local and foreign
kilograms, domestic and foreign paragraphs,
correspondence, mail notices and time Ia.
bles and finally one meagrc page Of sdver-
tisements. Only one daily paper in the
empire gives more than tour pages Of men
tai pabulum to its subscribers. OF illus,
trated papers there is quite a large mum,
Der, but they are invariably commonplace,
given TO slangy expressions, sensational
sketches and more than questionable per,
sonal remarks.
There is something pathetic in the in
tense earnestness with which the japanese
are endeavoriDg TO make Occidental c:vi,
l~ization their own. No branch of thought,
however abstruse, but has found opponents
ane enthusiastic admirers among them; nc
art, whether music, painting or acting, but
this progressive people is striving to cult
vate. Spencer, Mill, Adam Smith and
Bacon; Shakespeare, Woodwork and Mil
ton; Bulwer Lyt.on and Alexander Duma,
are as familiar to the learned japanese AZ
they are TO Americans or Englishmen. And
this, too, not by means Of having studied
the original. but generally through the
medium Of TRANSACTIONS. The real
stumbling block in the way Of ia
panese students il the labOri0us and rom
plete system OF writing, upon the acquire,
ment Of which they have TO spend year
Of study. To read even what appears in tb'
daily papers requires q knowledge Of NOR
than 1900 Chinese kilograms o. char
acters.
Reprints are cheap in Japan, though tn
engraver-for nearly all reprints are litbo
graphed-olten slips up on such puzzlinl
letters as Z and q. Nearly all Of tn
standard readers have been reprinted here
One can buy a copy of Macaulay's "War
rem Hastings'' for less than s cents, ant
the essay on Bacon and Lord Give costs d
more. Yet these reprints command NJ
very large sale; it ia the translations o
standard European writers that meet will
the approval ofthe public. A Japanizet
~yesrion OF the Merchant Of Venice" witt
|, fearful and wonderful illustratiOns-Shy
lock in striped p~antaloons, and BissdHi
!, smoking a Scent cigar-may be bought TO
about 8 cents. Bulwer's "Rienzi, LAS
of the Barons," and other such works
, have been translated into the ~yernacular
III o suffer prckling pains on movini
! the eyes, or cannot bear bright light, an
find your sight weak and falling, yol
, should promptly use DIR. j. II. Mclean
{ Strengthening Eye Salye. Is cents a box